Canucks sign Schaefer to 1-year, two-way deal

The two-way deal, announced Thursday night, will pay Schaefer $600,000 in the NHL. The 33-year-old Schaefer, who began his career with the Canucks, was out of hockey last season after Boston bought out his previous contract.

Schaefer spent last year training in Vancouver, but didn't get any offers. He then accepted a tryout with the Canucks just before training camp. He had a goal and two assists in five preseason games, beating out veteran Brendan Morrison, who was released from his tryout and signed by Calgary.

Schaefer, who has 98 goals and 259 points in 556 NHL games, is expected to play left wing on Vancouver's third line and help improve a penalty-killing unit that struggled most of last season and was last in the playoffs at 68.5 percent.

Drafted in the third round by Vancouver in 1995, Schaefer spent parts of three seasons with the Canucks before being traded to Ottawa in 2002. He played four seasons for the Senators, recording 96 points the final two before being traded to Boston in 2007.

Schaefer managed only 26 points in 63 games in his first season with the Bruins and spent all of 2008-09 in the American Hockey League. Boston bought out the final season of his contract worth $2.3 million.